With most Virginia rivers back to normal flows and clear water, anglers are having excellent results, especially with smallmouth bass. Reports are below.
New River
Excellent smallmouth bass action on the New. The fish are taking plastic grubs, worms and Senkos in pumpkinseed and motor oil. Small crankbaits and topwater baits are also taking some nice fish. Lots of muskies are being encountered, along with catfish to 10 pounds.
Rappahannock River
Smallmouth action has really picked up. Bass are hitting noisy, topwater lures, early and late in the day. Bass action is consistently good from Green Bay to Leedstown. Large blue catfish are taking cut bait and live white perch.
Shenandoah River
Smallmouth bass are hitting small crankbaits, spinners and plastic grubs. Some nice bream are mixed in the catches. Catfishermen have been successful with chicken livers fished in deeper water.
James River
Above the city, smallmouth bass are hitting on Tiny Torpedos, small plastic grubs and crankbaits. Lots of carp, gar and catfish are also being encountered. Below Richmond, largemouth are being caught on plastic worms, spinnerbaits and small crankbaits. Points and wood structure are the better areas.
Chickahominy River
Largemouth bass are taking buzzbaits, floating plastic worms and grass frogs in the lily pads and hydrilla. Plastic worms, flukes and grubs are enticing fish in creek mouths on moving tides. Rat-l-traps, spinnerbaits and plastic worms worked on cypress trees are good choices. Lots of good-sized sunfish are being caught on crickets, and catfish are taking peeler crab, minnows and livers.
Potomac River
Says Capt. Steve Chaconas, “Find clear water and fish there”.
Mid Morning high tides provide a window for topwater fishing, but prepare to abandon this strategy. Start with Lucky Craft G-splash poppers up near inside grass edges. Keep moving. Use Power Poles to stay put once fish show themselves. Then move to keep on biting fish.
The other early morning option is to use the Mann’s Baby 1-Minus. Firetiger baits with orange bellies on 14-pound test Gamma Edge fluorocarbon line. Contact grass and fish over grass into grass beds away from the outer edges to find fish. Again use Power Poles to hold on biting fish. Contact grass and snap free. As long as this bait says close to and in grass, fish it through the rising tide. Otherwise, depending on conditions, go just a bit deeper. Lucky Craft BDS4 crankbaits can reach grass with higher tides. Also use 14-pound Gamma Edge. Shad patterns are best.
Lake Orange
Darrell Kennedy of Anglers Landing (540-672-3997) says the water temperature is in the mid 80s. The lake is currently stained with a plankton bloom under way. The grass on the upper end is holding nice schools of fish. Bass, crappie and walleye have been caught on a variety of baits. Topwater action for bass is good early in the day while soft plastics dropped during midday works. For crappie, small jigs and minnows worked along the deeper grass edges have been producing some nice stringers. For walleye, trolling over the top of the deeper grass has been working, with a few nice ones being reported this week.
Chickahominy Lake
Capt. Art Conway of Conway’s River Rat Guide Service (804-746-2475) out of Ed Allen’s Boats and Bait reported that Chickahominy Lake mid-day water temperatures were in the high 80’s in the main lake and in the major creeks on Wednesday.
Fishing with Capt. Conway, Tom Porter had 26 bluegills, 1 shellcrackers, 2 crappie, 1 roach minnow and 4 bass.
Lake Anna
Largemouth bass have moved deeper with the summer heat. The fish are taking crankbaits and drop shot rigs in 12-24 feet on ridges, humps and points. Some walleye are being caught on rocky points, on bridge pilings and around Dike Three. Crappie action is good in 25-40 feet of water. Stripers are taking live shad in the 208 Bridge area. Catfishing is excellent.
Lake Gaston
Gaston crappie are holding on brush piles in 12-18 feet of water and taking live minnows and tiny jigs. Largemouth bass are at 12-20 foot depths. Stripers are being caught on rattling crankbaits, fished on the bottom on river channel points. A few stripers are being taken by trolling bucktails in the main river channel from Eaton Ferry Bridge to Gaston.
Buggs Island
Stripers in the 10-12 pound class are being caught with vertical jigs. Trolling with bucktails and Redfins is also working for striper anglers. Topwater lures are taking bass early and late in the day. Crappie are on brush piles in 10-12 feet of water.
Smith Mountain Lake
Good numbers of stripers are being caught on topwater lures, live shad and by trolling large, deep-running lures. Fish are between 18 and 32 feet. The better areas are from buoy markers 22-31 on the Roanoke River and markers 11-14 on the Blackwater River. Largemouth bass are being caught in 15-18 feet of water on deep-diving crankbaits and Carolina-rigged plastic worms.
Lake Moomaw
Trout fishing is good, with rainbows and browns up to four pounds biting live minnows. Catfish to 17 pounds are going for night crawlers and chicken livers. Bass are hitting buzzbaits in shallow water at dusk, but otherwise are very deep.